For years, the speculation went that, when Mack Brown stepped down/was pushed out the door as Texas’ head football coach, the university would make a full-on push to land Nick Saban as his replacement. In late September, a UT regent went on the record to reveal that he, along with a former regent, had broached the subject in a 45-minute meeting with Saban’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, of replacing Brown as Longhorns coach this past January.

That revelation was further buttressed by documents obtained recently by the Associated Press which revealed Sexton had told school officials “that UT is the only job Nick would possibly consider leaving Alabama for.”

Understandably, the latest AP report sent the rumor mill, already at a heightened DEFCON level thanks to rumors that Saban’s wife was house-shopping in Austin recently, into overdrive. Just as understandably, Saban once again attempted to tamp out the fires of speculation that have no doubt pushed his frustration up a notch or two, if for nothing more than the timing of the reports.

The initial report surfaced in mid-September, during the week leading up to the Texas A&M game. The latest one comes just a few days before the game with LSU.

“Well I don’t know where these reports come from,” Saban told ESPN‘s Tom Rinaldi by way of al.com. “I’ve sort of addressed the situation before. I’m totally committed to the University of Alabama, looking forward to the game we have this week and all my focus has been on LSU and what our team needs to do to play their best.”

There’s really nothing more Saban can do, thanks in large part to the utter debacle that was his departure from the Miami Dolphins for Tuscaloosa. Give an unequivocal denial, and people simply point to the South Florida brouhaha. Give anything less than an unequivocal denial, and it simply fuels the speculation. In reality, it’s a lose-lose situation for the coach.

And what of Alabama, what can they do? Nothing, really. They can throw more money at Saban — USA Today confirmed in its annual salary database that he is once again the highest-paid head coach in college football — but Texas has even deeper pockets and can match any dollar flinging done by any program in the country.

No, it’s best for both Saban and the university to realize that this speculation simply won’t go away, at least until the head-coaching position at UT is settled once and for all. Well, accept that reality while continuing to collect BCS hardware. That, above all else, helps blunt the impact of the constant whirring of the rumor mill.

Looks like Cincinnati didn’t need to go far to find their replacement for Tommy Tuberville.

According to Toledo sports reporter Jordan Strack, the Bearcats will make the hire of Ohio State co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Luke Fickell official on Saturday.

A person told USA Today that talks between the two parties were progressing on Friday night but not yet complete.

The move makes plenty of sense for Fickell, a Columbus, Ohio native who has spent nearly his entire career in the state not too far from Cincinnati. He did serve as interim head coach of the Buckeyes back when Jim Tressel was fired and was retained by Urban Meyer and served as one of the mainstays of the defensive staff.

Cincinnati has served as a bit of a stepping-stone job to major openings around the Midwest and has proven to be one of the more desirable jobs in the AAC given the resources at the school and the local talent base. The hiring of somebody like Fickell makes plenty of sense on both ends and it seems like the only unknown at this point is whether he sticks around for Ohio State’s semifinal game against Clemson or heads to Cincinnati right away.

Kiffin has also reportedly been in the mix at South Florida but it looks as though the Bulls are moving quickly to getting a deal done with Charlie Strong. If the former Texas coach turns USF down, the Alabama offensive coordinator could get back in the running in his old hometown of Tampa.

The Owls would represent an interesting destination if the two parties come together however. Combined with his offensive background and ability to recruit, the area known as a retirement mecca could instead be the perfect place for the young Kiffin to continue to rehabilitate his image. The program is looking to replace Charlie Partridge after three 3-9 seasons but FAU has solid facilities for a CUSA team and is located in a talent-rich area.

It seems like quite the drop from being the offensive coordinator at a program like Alabama but the drive to be a head coach is clearly a strong one for Kiffin.

One of the most interesting hires this offseason has been Baylor bringing in Matt Rhule over from Temple to be the program’s new head coach.

Rhule didn’t have any previous ties to the state of Texas so many folks were wondering what kind of staff would he assemble. On Friday it seems, we’re getting our first look that not a ton is going to change from his days in Philadelphia.

Padden was previously an associate AD at Temple and heads to Waco as Baylor’s new director of football operations. Titles were not given out for the other three members but Brown coached defensive backs for the Owls, Siravo was the team’s linebackers coach and Cooper was the director of player personnel.

Those hires represent plenty of familiar faces and continuity for Rhule as he settles in with Baylor and figure to be the first of many new coaches added to the staff over the coming weeks.

The release did not state whether they would be remaining with Temple through the team’s Military Bowl appearance but it seems pretty clear they will be filling their new roles relatively quick and probably won’t coach in the Owls’ final game this season.

It took a few weeks, but Missouri head coach Barry Odom has a new defensive line coach.

The school announced the hiring of Brick Haley on Friday afternoon, a longtime veteran SEC coach who heads to Columbia after previously serving on Charlie Strong’s staff at Texas.

“I’m very pleased and really excited to be joining Coach Odom’s program,” said Haley in a release. “We haven’t worked together, but I’m very aware of him and the reputation he has in the coaching profession. I look at this as an unbelievable opportunity to work with someone who has such an impressive passion and work ethic. It didn’t take me long in our conversations to know that Coach Odom is the right guy and someone you want to work with. I believe that Mizzou is a place where the sky is the limit, and I’m looking forward to being part of the program.”

Haley has a strong reputation as a recruiter, which is helpful considering that the Tigers are in a bit of a rebuilding job right now. In addition his recent stop at Texas, he also coached at LSU, the Chicago Bears, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Clemson and others.

Missouri does have a strong tradition of producing first-round picks along the defensive line and it appears that, after a one year speed bump with Jackie Shipp, the program has found the next coach to help carry on that tradition.